1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club, and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a golf club with improved performance over a larger percentage of the strike face.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to make wood-type golf clubs out of metallic materials. These clubs were originally manufactured primarily by casting durable metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, beryllium copper, etc. into a unitary structure comprising a metal body, face, and hosel. As technology progressed, it became more desirable to increase the performance of the face of the club, usually by using a titanium material.
With a high percentage of amateur golfers constantly searching for more distance on their drives, the golf industry has responded by providing golf clubs specifically designed with distance in mind. The head sizes of wood-type golf clubs have increased, allowing the club to possess a higher moment of inertia, which translates to a greater ability to resist twisting on off-center hits. However, known golf club heads tend to be “hotter” toward the top of the strike face. That is, the upper portion of the club face tends to result in longer and more desirable shots than the lower section of the face. This is because known clubs tend to have an acute angle between the face and sole surfaces. The radius for a typical leading edge is in the range from 0.100 inch to 0.150 inch, while the matching core radius (that is, the radius of the interior surface of the leading edge) is from 0.100 inch to 0.125 inch. This disparity effectively thickens this region with respect to the face (>0.085 inch) and the sole (>0.060 inch). This increased wall thickness along with the acute face-sole angle increases the structural rigidity of the bottom portion of the face, which in turn reduces the flexibility and lowers the coefficient of restitution (COR) of this area.
Thus, what is needed is a club head with improved performance over a larger percentage of the strike face, especially the lower portion of the face.